Katy Perry Opens Up About Having a “Flu-Cold Thing” While Facing Criticism for Her Tour Shows

Katy Perry has revealed why she hasn’t been able to perform at her best after kicking off her “Lifetimes” tour on Wednesday in Mexico City.

The “California Gurls” singer reportedly shared that she has been struggling with her voice due to a kind of “flu.”

Katy Perry faced criticism recently after making history with an all-female Blue Origin space flight, which some viewed as a promotional tactic for Jeff Bezos.

Perry has left more to be desired following a string of underwhelming performances amid her “Lifetimes” tour, but there seems to be a reason for it.

Despite starting her tour in Mexico City with much excitement, the “Roar” singer received backlash on social media for her clumsy dance moves, with one individual commenting on her “mom-like” performance and another accusing her of lacking energy.

In a behind-the-scenes video she shared on Instagram, Perry revealed that she had been dealing with voice issues due to a flu-like illness over the past few weeks.

According to the Daily Mail, she also noted that the Mexican capital’s famously high altitude, more than 7,000 feet above sea level, also affected her in some way.

Following her inaugural show on Wednesday, Perry performed in Mexico City again on Friday and will perform there for a third time on Saturday before jetting off to Monterrey next week, Monday and Tuesday.

The 40-year-old pop star was supposed to perform in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 1 and 2, but those dates were scrapped because the construction works in the stadium she was billed to perform in hadn’t been completed.

Perry has since announced the cancellation of both legs, writing, “Sadly, I learned that the construction of Arena Guadalajara will not be complete for their scheduled shows next week, which includes mine on May 1 and 2.”

The singer explained to devastated fans that she did all she could to ensure the show could go on, but her efforts proved futile.

She explained, “Last week I sent my team to the Arena to make sure there wasn’t anything we could do to make this happen, but it was evident when they arrived that the venue was not ready or safe to receive my show or an audience.”

“I wish I could fix this, but it is beyond my control,” Perry told fans, before adding that she will “create something special for the fans in Guadalajara in the future.”

Perry will embark on a string of dates across North America in support of her seventh studio album, “143.” However, according to official seat maps on Ticketmaster, she has been facing a lack of sales, with rows of seating still available at multiple venues.

“There were already concerns about poor ticket sales even before Blue Origin,” a source told the Daily Mail. “They were pretty dismal. Katy truly believed her tour would take off like Taylor’s.”

“Some higher-ups at Live Nation were skeptical from the beginning. There are talks about what to do if the venues don’t fill up further,” the insider added.

Insiders claimed she’d hoped to emulate Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras World Tour, but her recent run of controversies may have affected such ambition.

The Grammy nominee has, however, recorded encouraging ticket sales in certain locations, including her upcoming shows in Chicago, Illinois, on May 12 and multiple dates outside of the US.

Seat maps for dates in Canada’s Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto in late July and early August show blocks of seats have been booked, while she has had to add extra dates in Europe and Australia due to high demand.

Perry came under fire for being a part of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin all-female space flight as netizens called out the mission’s cost and environmental impact.